Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-04-03
AS A FILBUSTER
MORE OF The LIFE OF KISSANE.
()ns Of the Officers Of a South American
Army Of ElibuSter.
MEMBER OF WALKERS CABINET.
He Was a COward-HiS Brutal Treatment Of
French Captves.

New YORK, April "A gray-bearded
sailor. who has seen much adventure IN
South America, told World reporter yes
terday about Kissane's career in Nicara-
qua.
"Iu the summer Of 1856" he said, Il
was one of William Walkers Army Of Fill
ibusters in Nicaragua, and was stationed
at Granada. A man who gave his name as
William Rogers came down on steamer
from New York and joined Walkers little
army. He was made assistant quartermas-
ter. or assistant commissary, / forgot
which, but he did not occupy the compar-
atively humble position long. He was
smart as a steel trap and was
well educated. He had not been
long in the army before he told
Walker that he was William Kissane, the
noted forger. The tilibusterer did not turn
from him on that account. On the con-
trary, he was glad to have such a bright,
energetic, pushing man as Klssane about
him. 1t soon became known to- dozen or
more of us that Rogers was Kissane the
forger, but his identity was not generally
known throughout the army. In the fall
of 1856 Walker assumed the government OF
Nicaragua and organized his cabinet. The
members of it were all natives, mere figure
heads.
THE REAL CABINET MINISTERS
were Walkers shrewd men whom he ap-
pointed nominally assistants to the MINIS
ters. He made Rogers Assistant Secretary
of Hacienda, in which his duties were
those of Secretary of the Treasury. He
was'a great hel to Walker and without
him | think the iilibusters would have col
lapsed much sooner What sort of look
ing man was he? About ) feet 10 inches
high, slenderly built but active and wiry
as a cat. He was a fine horseman. His
complexion was cross between light
and dark and. his hair was
dark brown. He wore little
if any beard. and should say that his age
in 1859 was something between p and 30
years. There was nothing particularly no.
ticeable in his features save that he had a
very active, alert expression. When
Walker marched to Orivas he left Grenada
in charge of Gen. Charles f, Hennigsen
and Rogers, or KiSsane. Hennigsen WAS a
brave honorable man and made war i'll an
open manner. But Rogers great achieve
ments consisted in sudden Sallies in the
neighbOring haciendas. He
WOULD CAPTURE THE WIVES AND DAUGH-
EERS
of prominent Nicarguans and hold them
as hostages to be exchanged for so much
money or provisions.
"Many of the women he captured thus
complained of the most dreadful treatment
at his hands Rogers alwyas avoided hard
fighting. Once Slennengcr tried TO have
him take charge of our outpost, but Rogers
quickly declared that he was Assistant
Secretary of Hacienda, not n military man,
and refused TO 20. When Walker was
finally captured at Crivas by Commander
Davies, ofSt. Mary's, Rogers was with him.
He was released in San Francisco. The
last heard from him was about ! s67 or
6S when old ex-iillibuster told me Rogers
was living somewhere in Southern CaliiOr-
MIA in fine style, having made piles OF
money. Nobody in the State knew he was
KiSsane and | presume his identity has
been unguessed to this day.